Ozarks Ephemera

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Christmas; late 1940’s at Heer’s Department Store in Springfield, MO.

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The Ozarks Ephemera group is a place to share your photos, stories and regional history with others.

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“Missouri is Beautiful”

“Autumn colors add to the splendor of always beautiful Missouri scenes. Here is a long-time favorite lookout point, overlooking Lake Taneycomo near Powersite Dam in Taney county. This area is gaining favor as a tourist attraction."

Photographer: Ralph Walker, 1959

Collection: Missouri Ruralist Photographs

Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri.

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Fisherman at Bennett Springs State Park.

Photographer: Ralph Walker

Missouri State Parks 🎣

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Taney County; 1930’s. Two men stand in the Parnell tobacco field, near the White River. From the Hobart Parnell Collection, courtesy of the Missouri State Archives.

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Colorized photo of Jack Herschend and Sherry Herschend in Marvel Cave, in the 1950’s.

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Some images of Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn in Joplin, MO. According to the Joplin Globe:

The original Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn contained 53 guest rooms. The $500,000 motor lodge offered a slew of amenities including a ‘pleasure-eating’ restaurant, a meeting room for 150 to 175 people, and a $15,000, 55,000-gallon swimming pool.

Additionally, the motel offered bonded baby sitters, house physicians, room service, valet service, 24-hour switchboard service, bellhop service and free advance teletype reservation service. The Holiday Inn and American Hotel Association credit card system was in place, which enabled all room, food and beverage bills to be charged to the individual’s room. Each guest room had its own radio, telephone, 21-inch television and a private all-tile bath with a sliding glass door.

Mickey Mantle and Harold Youngman stayed connected with the Holiday Inn corporation until the mid-1960s. Mantle later clarified the relationship in his book, stating, “We ran the motel eight years, then turned it over to a group of investors from New York, making a substantial profit. I collected $100,000 down, in addition to a payment plan of $1,000 a month over the next 20 years.”

The Holiday Inn franchise stayed at the 2600 Range Line location until 1980.

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Alexander Drug:

Home of the 5¢ Ice Cream Cone.🍦

Pictured here, are a few shots of Alexander Drug Store, which resided in historic downtown Branson. These images were originally posted a few years ago in the, “You Know You’re From Branson If...” group, by Cherie Morris-Doerr who worked at the drug store in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

By all accounts, Alexander Drug was a favorite for many; young and old. I have read that the kids would stop by for a cone and a comic book, and that older generations of people could be found on the bench out front, chatting. Many drinks from the soda fountain were enjoyed through the years.

According to Cherie: “I started when I was 15 and would work 3 days after school and all day Saturday. Saturday's were the best. People would hang out and tell stories while enjoying their ice cream and sodas. One of my favorite story tellers was Chris Meadows. I worked for Helen and Bob Alexander until they closed the store in 1981.”

Alexander Drug Co. was located where Clockers is now.

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Come stay or play in the playgrounds of the Ozarks...

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Front page of a copy of Playgrounds of the Ozarks, from the 1950’s or early 1960’s. The Ozarks Playground Association was founded in 1919 to promote tourism in the Ozarks. Headquartered in Joplin, the association published maps and brochures, highlighting towns, resorts, attractions, and points of interest for visitors. The association dissolved in 1979.